Ben Chessor
The Navigator
The VIU Mariners’ women’s volleyball team finished up their regular season exactly how they started it: by sweeping a weekend series over their Island rivals, the Camosun Chargers.
The first game of the weekend between the two teams was Thursday, February 13 at the VIU gym. The Mariners picked up the victory in the first set 25-17. They followed that up with a convincing 25-11 win in the second set. VIU made sure the third set of the match was also the final set as they picked up the 25-20 set victory and the 3-0 win in the match.
On Saturday, February 15 the two teams faced off once again, this time in Victoria, but the change of venue didn’t do much to help the Chargers as the Mariners picked up the win in the first set 25-17. Then the Mariners opened up a 2-0 lead on Camosun with a 25-15 win in the second set. In the third set, the Mariners picked up the 28-26 win in the third set and took the second half of the Island rivalry weekend 3-0.
The previous weekend, the Mariners were on the road to take on the Columbia Bible College Bearcats. The Mariners overpowered the Bearcats in both games during the weekend, winning both games 3-0. Columbia managed to keep the first match close as the Mariners won the three sets by scores of 25-21, 28-26, and 25-15. But the next day, the Mariners made even shorter work of the Bearcats, picking up victories 25-15, 25-15, and 25-12.
The Mariners have been a force during the second semester. The Mariners have won all nine matches they’ve played this semester and have only lost four sets in those nine games. In fact, the Mariners only lost 13 sets all season.
With a record of 21-2, the Mariners will finish in first place in the PacWest standings, two points ahead of second place UFV Cascades.
The Mariners will now head into the 2014 PacWest provincials as the league’s number one seed. The provincials are scheduled from February 20-22 and will be held in North Vancouver. For more information on the Mariners, including their results, visit mariners.viu.ca.